Cleaner for vegetables



CLEANER FOR VEGETABLES Filed Nov. 18, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 [Z M Z5 Z5Z6 n v m I I J 73 3mm 7 o a 745 6 v Mir/ML? Dec. 21, 1937. w, H, SPAYD2,102,758

CLEANER FOR VEGETABLES Filed Nov. 18, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PatentedDec. 21, 1937 i v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLEANER FOR VEGETABLESWalker H. Spayd, Van Wert, Ohio Application November 18, 1936, SerialNo. 111,340

3 Claims. (Cl. Hit-202) This invention relates primarily to treatingAdditionally, each of these slats 43 has cushvegetables and fruits, moreespecially for removioning facing 45 as of formed rubber. Provision ingmore or less loose or foreign material thereis also taken to avoidscarring impact by providfrom. ing prongs 46 of this rubber orrubber-like mate- This invention has utility as acontinuous wiper rialrising from the cushion 45. There is thus 5 or cleaner for potatoes.provided a way 41 of cushioned interior and Referring to the drawings:transversely traveling as to the extent of this way Fig. 1 is a sideelevation of an embodiment of from the delivery chute slats 25 overshielding rim the invention in a cleaner; 48 to clear the sprocket chain36 and' efiect the in Fig. 2 is a view from the left of the device ofdelivery of t p d ce. as p tatoes 49. into the Fig. 1; way 41 forprogress over shield 59 in delivery to Fig. 3 is a view of the device ofFig. 1 from the discharge Chute Which herein y extend to opposite side,parts being broken away; grader 52. The shaft I4, adjacent the sprocketFig. 4 is a section on the line IV IV, Fig, 2; wheel 13, carriessprocket wheel 53 from which Fig. 5 is a, section on the line V V, Fig,4; d extends sprocket chain 54 to sprocket wheel 55 15 Fig.6 is asection on the line TL-VI, Fig, 5, on shaft 56 in the grader housing 52effective as Source of power as gas engine I is mounted o an elevator inthe actuation of this grader conbase 2 (Fig. 2) and has shaft 3 carryingpulley 4, ve I from which extends belt 5 about pulley 6 on shaft e shaft1 s fi ed e n pulley 51 F 1 mounted in bearings 8, adjustably mounted byfrom Which extends belt 58 Over guide Pu ys 59 bolts 9 in upright framesill. Fixed on this shaft to P y on shaft ThiS Shaft 5| te s 1 issprocket wheel II, from which extends chain not y through the housing,21 but en al y l2 to sprocket wheel l3 on shaft l4, mounted in t u h thy 41, ut nearer h lower portion bearings 15 carried by the uprights Illabove and 33 o the lower hight than the pp taut p o parallel to theshaft I. The shaft 14 is provided with sprocket wheel I6. about whichextends This shaft 6| has hub sections 62, between sprocket chain I!(Fig. 3) to sprocket wheel l8 which extend drum-forming clamping bars 63on shaft l9 in hooks 20 (Fig. 1) of receiving hopass d y lts 6 int l n na em nt f per 2| mounted on the frame uprights i0. This in r rmini ofrip 65. h in sh wn s n rshaft i9 is fixed with elevator flight housing22 r w, ri b n-lik rip f nv in wo or th carrying endless belt conveyor23 having flights P a 00 The d and Clamps, accord- 24 thereon, effectivefor elevating and delivering ingly provide a carrier in this way 41 forthese material into the hopper 2| so that such material, flexible W pbeater strips to swish against, say potatoes, in falling may land onslats 25 for over and about the pro as potatoes, in One foreign or loosematerial or dirt to clear th redirection, say counter-clockwise of thedirection 35 from before the product passes through opening of the way41, as the cushioning open-work of 26 (Fig. 4) into housing 21. v I suchway oppositely travels, say herein clockwise. The sprocket chain I 1 hasits lower reach con- Incoming material fr m the Chute 2i i umb d tactedby adjustable idler 28. Mounted on the a ss th cus on n of t way 41 andof its shaft is, adjacent the sprocket wheel 16, is pulley v l may v adegree of p s. Th may 40 29, about which passes belt 30 to pulley 3| onbe accelerated either by tilting the frame or adshaft 32 and thenceabout idler 33 in its return to lus ng ts 66 in t up ts In pra t thepulley 29. This shaft 32 (Figs. 2,4) is mountthis would mean a. liftingadj the pp y ed in bearings 34 and extends through the h chute 2| morethan adjacent the delivery chute ing 21. In the housing 21, this shaft32 carries 5 The rim 48 provides a guide from the slats 45 sprocketwheels 35 in mesh with sprocket chain 5 prot t du f h sp ck t chain 36having downwardly extending section 31, cross- 35 at this pp y OpeningAdditiol'lal p o over section 38, and riser section 39 in its lower.tion against ma r l striking the chain to be bight, to idler or followersprocket wheels 49 on Wounded is effected by Sprocket chain sh elds orshaft 4| parallel to" the shaft 32, thus locating uid s 61 (Fi b fo edes ndin por- 50 taut upward bight 42 horizontally in the portion 31 aswell as the rising portion 39 of the lower tion of the housing 21 ofthis device. The parbight. Accordin ly, he material p gresses-for alleisprocket chains 36 have therebetween slats lmwollnded delivery to theShield 59 at discharge 43 with clearance 44 therebetween to form perp n68 f r fl w onto the discharge way Ii. iorate or open work way. It is tobe noted this efl'ect of the wipers upon 55 the moving product isgentlebut continuous and tends to separate the foreign matter or looseportions to fall through the clearance portions ll into converginghopper portion 09 for flow by duct II into fan housing 1i, and fromthence delivered by duct "as may be desired. The shaft 1 has thereonlarge pulley 13 (Fig. 3), from which extends belt Il to pulley 15 onshaft 16 for the fan or suction blower II. It is thus to be noted thatthe single power source or motor, as gas engine I,

is effective to drive. the several units'herein.

Inspection for check up on condition or as against undesired material oraccident in the way 41 is had by shifting closure 11 to provide openingat port 18 in an end wall of the housing 21. Should there be occasionfor clearing this cleaner but delivering the supply therefrom even byelevator and then through the grader. The unit itself of this cleaner iseffective in its handling against detracting from the quality of suchproduce or deleteriously affecting the keeping thereof, due to abrasionor wound. The.

drive may be sufficiently rapid as to the fabric wipers that such mayapproach director radial extent as clear of the material. A relativelylower speed may be for the transversely traveling, cushioning-supportingway so that the material as reaching the riser section 39 may only rolldown therefrom, either on unlifted portigns or propressing slightly.This descent is close to, if not beyond the throw of the wipers, whichwipers are more effective in the concave central portion of the reach 38and are not of rigidity or force to effect other than slight retardingso that there is no tendency to lift or throw the produce against thedescending reach portion 31.

What is claimed and it is desired to secure by United States LettersPatent is:

l. A material cleaner comprising a. base, a housing mounted on the basein spaced relation above the same, parallel shafts mounted in thehousing longitudinally thereof and adjacent the top thereof, sets ofaligned sprockets on and ad- Jacent both ends of .the shafts and withinthe housing, means for driving one -of said shafts,

the wiping members extending into contact with the material beingcleaned and means to drive said shaft.

2. A material-cleaner comprising a housing, parallel shafts mounted .inthe housing longitudinally thereof and adjacent the top thereof, anendless belt surroundingsaid shafts; the lower run of the endless belthaving a substantial sag sloping from one end toward the other, meansfor feeding to the high end material to be thereon and receiving fromthe lower end material to be delivered therefrom, means for propellingthe belt in the direction of its endless extent, brushing members fixedto the inner surface of the belt for brushing the material as it passesalong the sag, another shaft journaled in the housing and carryingflexible wiping members, the'last mentioned shaft being approximatelyparallel to the first mentioned shafts and situated nearer the bottomrun of the endless belt, the wiping members extending into contact withthe material being cleaned, and means to drive said wipingmember-carrying shaft, whereby said material passes transversely of thebelt from said high end to said lower end.

3. A material cleaner comprising a housing, an elongated endless belt inthe housing having a sag sloping from one end toward the other, meansfor feeding to the high end material to be thereon and for receivingfrom the lower end material to be delivered therefrom, means forpropelling the belt in thedirection of its endless extent, there beingbrushing means fixed to the inner face of the belt for brushingthematerial as it passes therealong, a rotary carrier in the sag, wipermeans on the carrier for acting on the material as brushed by the belt,and driving means for the carrier whereby said material passestransversely of'the belt from said high end to the lower end. 4

' WALKER H. SPAYD.

